Hinged polypropylene louver set



Jan. 31, 1967 EBERHART 3,301,164

HINGED POLYPROPYLENE LOUVER SET Filed NOV. 18, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2so g 30 i l6 22 7/1. W 1 't l L J FIGA.

WITNESSES NVENTOR film Arthur H. Eberhart ATTORNEY A. H. EBERHART3,301,164

NGED POLYPROPYLENE LOUVER SET Jan. 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV.18, 1964 United States Patent 3,301,164 HINGED POLYPROPYLENE LOUVER SETArthur H. Eberhart, Hilliard, Ohio, assiguor to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania FiledNov. 18, 1964. Ser. No. 412,057 6 Claims. (Cl. 93-40) The presentinvention relates to adjustable air distribution grills or louver setssuch as may be used to control the flow of air from an air conditioningcabinet or the like.

Numerous arrangements of movable vanes assembled in a frame as sets ofcontrollable vanes for controlling air flow through an aperture havebeen devised in the past. Where a plurality of movable vanes areassembled in a set and supported on a common framework, the prior artarrangements have required the relatively costly procedure of assemblingnumerous individual parts in the mechanism together with the necessaryinterconnecting control linkages.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improvedlow cost arrangement of a set of movable vanes in a single supportingframework that may be simultaneously formed and assembled withinterconnecting control linkage by a single molding operation.

In accordance with the invention, the supporting framework, theplurality of movable vane members, and the interconnecting control linkwhich is usually referred to as a gang bar are simultaneously for-medand molded as a single piece of plastic material such as polypropylene.Each of the movable vanes is connected to respective portions of thesupporting framework by integrally molded flexible hinge or web portionsto thus enable the respective vane to be movable on the frame. Also theintegrally molded gang bar is connected to a side edge portion of eachvane by a flexible hinge or web portion in a plane parallel to butbehind a side member of the frame so that a reciprocating movement ofthe gang bar will cause a simultaneous or ganged pivotal movement of theinterconnected vanes.

Various other features and the attendant advantages of the inventionwill be apparent with reference to the following specification anddrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective elevational view of the adjustable louver vaneset of the invention as seen from the front;

FIG. 2 is a perspective elevational view of the adjustable louver vaneset of the invention as seen from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a cross section on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end view of one of the vanes showing the web orhinge connections to the gang bar and the frame with the frame brokenaway;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line VV of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the top of the frame showing theflexible web connection of a vane to the inward projection of the frame.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the louver vane set ofthe invention is comprised of a molded frame including side members orrails 9, 10 and end cross members 11, 12. The frame is molded in onepiece of suitable plastic material which may preferably bepolypropylene. Polypropylene is a presently preferred material due toits extreme toughness and durability under flexing conditions as will bebetter understood from the following description of the details of theinvention although it will be understood that other suitable plasticmaterials having the requisite toughness and flexibility may be used. Inorder to simplify the drawings, the louver set of the invention is shownto comprise 3,391,164 Patented Jan. 31, 1967 ice only three vanes 13-15extending transversely between the side rails 9, 10 of the frame and itshould be understood that any number of vanes may be provided asdesired.

Each of the side rails 9, 10 is provided with a plurality oflongitudinally spaced and oppositely positioned inwardly extendingprojections or ears 16, 17, 18 and 19, 20, 21, respectively, which areintegrally molded with the respective frame side rails 9 and 10. As moreclearly shown by FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, each of the vanessuch as vane 13 is connected or joined to a respective projection suchas the projection 16 by a thin flexible web portion such as shown at 22which thus provides a hinge arrangement permitting the respective vanesto be moved about an axis parallel to the end cross members 11, 12 andtransverse to the axis of the side rails 9, 10. Each of the hinge webportions such as shown at 22 are integrally molded with the projectionsand the respective vanes such as the vane 13 and the previouslymentioned preference for a tough and flexible plastic molding materialsuch as polypropylene should now be well understood.

A gang bar such as shown at 30 is also integrally molded and connectedto respective end surfaces of the vanes 13, 14 and 15 by flexible web orhinge portions such as shown at 31 for the vane 13. Since the gang baris positioned in a plane behind the plane of the side member 9 and isinterconnected to each of the vanes 13, 14, 15 by means of flexiblehinge web portions such as shown at 31, it will be understood that areciprocating movement of the gang bar 30 will cause a pivotalsimultaneous or ganged movement of each vane about its pivotal points ofconnection to the frame side rails 9 and 10.

Now considering the above description of the invention, it will be seenthat a one piece structure in which the frame members 9-12, the vanes13-15, the projections 1621, and the hinge webs such as the webs 22 and31 are all integrally molded in one piece of flexible polypropylenematerial by a single manufacturing step.

In order to provide a manual operator for reciprocating the gang bar 30,a journal slide rail 32 may be integrally molded in one corner of theframe although the invention is not limited to the positioning of thejou-rnal slide rail 32 at the corner of the frame. An operating lever33, see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, is received in the slot 34between the journal slide rail 32 and the side rail 9 and its lower endis received in a slot 35 formed at the end of this gang bar 30. As thelever 33 is slidably moved in the slot 34, the gang bar 30 will bereciprocated to pivot the vanes 13-15 accordingly. The operating leveris provided with a slot 36 in which is received the upwardly extendingflange 37 that is integrally molded with the side frame 9 so that apivoting movement of the operating lever 33 is prevented as it isslidably moved within the slot 34.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Forexample, a different form of the operating lever 33 may be provided andit may be connected to the gang bar 30 at any point along its length.

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable louver vane set formed as a one-piece structure moldedfrom plastic material comprising, a frame including generally parallelspaced apart side members and oppositely disposed end cross members,each of said side members having a plurality of spaced integrally moldedoppositely positioned inwardly extending projections, a plurality ofvane members integrally molded between said side members aud connectedby respective flexible plastic web portions to respective ones of saidoppositely positioned projections, a gang bar integrally molded tointerconnect respective end surfaces of said vanes in a plane behind theplane of the said connecting Web portions of said vanes to theprojections of said side members, said gang bar being connected to therespective ones of said vanes by integrally molded flexible plastic webportions, said frame including integrally molded support means toreceive movable operator means adapted to extend realwardly from saidsupport means to connect with said gang bar for effecting pivoting ofsaid vanes.

2. An adjustable louver vane set according to claim 1 wherein saidplastic material is comprised of polypropylene.

3. An adjustable louver vane set molded from plastic materialcomprising, a frame including generally parallel spaced apart sidemembers and oppositely disposed end cross members, each of said sidemembers having a plurality of spaced integrally molded oppositelypositioned inwardly extending projections, a plurality of vane membersintegrally molded between said side members and connected by respectiveflexible web portions to respective ones of said oppositely positionedprojections, a gang bar integrally molded to interconnect respective endsurfaces of said vanes in a plane behind the plane of the saidconnecting web portions of said vanes to the projections of said sidemembers, said gang bar being connected to the respective ones of saidvanes by integrally molded flexible web portions, said frame includingintegrally molded support means to receive movable control means,control means carried by said support means and so connected to saidgang bar that movement of said control means causes a reciprocatingmovement of said gang bar and a ganged pivotal movement of said vanes.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said plastic material is comprisedof polypropylene.

5. An adjustable louver vane set molded from plastic materialcomprising, a frame including generally parallel spaced apart sidemembers and oppositely disposed end cross members, each of said sidemembers having a plurality of spaced integrally molded oppositelypositioned inwardly extending projections, a plurality of vane membersintegrally molded between said side members and connected by respectiveflexible web portions to respective ones of said oppositely positionedprojections, a gang bar integrally molded to interconnect respective endsurfaces of said vanes in a plane beneath the plane of the saidconnecting web portions of said vanes to the projections of said sidemembers, said gang bar being connected to the respective ones of saidvanes by integrally molded flexible web portions, said frame includingintegrally molded support means located in a corner of said frame toreceive movable control means, and control means slidaoly journaled onsaid corner support means of said frame and connected to an end of saidgang bar whereby slidable movement of said control means causes areciprocating movement of said gang bar and a ganged pivotal movement ofsaid vanes.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said plastic material is comprisedof polypropylene.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/ 1963 Emery98-40 5/1965 Wiseman 9 840

1. AN ADJUSTABLE LOUVER VANE SET FORMED AS A ONE-PIECE STRUCTURE MOLDEDFROM PLASTIC MATERIAL COMPRISING, A FRAME INCLUDING GENERALLY PARALLELSPACED APART SIDE MEMBERS AND OPPOSITELY DISPOSED END CROSS MEMBERS,EACH OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED INTEGRALLY MOLDEDOPPOSITELY POSITIONED INWARDLY EXTENDING PROJECTIONS, A PLURALITY OFVANE MEMBERS INTEGRALLY MOLDED BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS AND CONNECTEDBY RESPECTIVE FLEXIBLE PLASTIC WEB PORTIONS TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAIDOPPOSITELY POSITIONED PROJECTIONS, A GANG BAR INTEGRALLY MOLDED TOINTERCONNECT RESPECTIVE END SURFACES OF SAID VANES IN A PLANE BEHIND THEPLANE OF THE SAID CONNECTING WEB PORTIONS OF SAID VANES TO THEPROJECTIONS OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS, SAID GANG BAR BEING CONNECTED TO THERESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID VANES BY INTEGRALLY MOLDED FLEXIBLE PLASTIC WEBPORTIONS, SAID FRAME INCLUDING INTEGRALLY MOLDED SUPPORT MEANS TORECEIVE MOVABLE OPERATOR MEANS ADAPTED TO EXTEND REARWARDLY FROM SAIDSUPPORT MEANS TO CONNECT WITH SAID GANG BAR FOR EFFECTING PIVOTING OFSAID VANES.